Porsmork thoughts

What a few days... let me see where do i start. I set off from Claudia´s on Friday 14th July with a short ride to the bus port. Yep bike and i are taking a bus to a place called Porsmork or at least thats what we planned in the morning. Now the P is a Th again here, a second elephant stamp if your saying it right.

The day is wet.. but i´m getting used to being on a bus when its raining. Better than riding i say. Its also cold and windy and the forecast is for a storm in the Landmannalaugar area with 20m/s winds... this is not riding weather

Now Porsmork is due south of Landmannalaugar, via a 3-4 day work. Its 50kms through the painted and volcanic landscape and one of the worlds most aclaimed walks... Were is my backpack and light tent! bugger I have to take bus. Porsmork is a valley with some trees situated between Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull.... And what is a jokull? Its a glacier and from Porsmork you can walk between the two glaciers over a mountain pass over 3 days to Skogar near the south coast... This was killing me not being able to do the walks. But then there is the issue with the weather!

So i take bus. At a small town called Hvolsvollur i´m told i have to change busses. Not a problem i think, but it is. Bike can´t go on second bus... Great, as i was planning on staying the night at Porsmork. Instead i have to store the bike at the Esso and return with the bus. I only get 3 hours in the area. Oh well that can´t be helped. So i get on second bus and we roll off to the 4x4 road. Now this is no normal 4x4 road... there are many river crossings and these are directly flowing off the glaciers so i´m told by the Icelandic folk that you have to be extra careful as the hight of the river can change and does change throughout the day due to melting of the icecaps.

Even through the rain and mud covered windows the view of the area is very special. We have crossed over some rivers that i´m sure the old touring sidecar would have coped with. We round a bend and then I´m godsmacked! The glacier is there in front of the bus along side of the road, complete with iceburges in the small lake. Now this is where using busses in Iceland is a real hoot. When you get to a great spot for a photo you don´t have to try to take it from the bus, the driver stops the bus and says ´do you wan´t to get a photo?... of course everyone does and we all bundle out into the ice wind and rain to get a photo and then wet we climb back into bus... just great.

At this point i don´t care that i only have 3 hours and that its wet and rainy seeing the lake and ice was so special. But then things change. The bus has to cross the large glacier river. The driver is on the phone (mobile phones work nearly everywhere here) checking with other drivers on the condition. Its not good. We are only 5kms from camp, but with the rain the river is too high for the bus to cross. As it is there are two 4x4 stranded on the land between the rivers flows waiting and hoping it will fall so they can cross. Everyone on the bus is dissapointed, except me... I now can get my bike, store is properly and make my way up the next day and stay overnight...

I can´t camp this night as the wind is just too much to attempt to put up a tent, so 8 people who were on the bus with me manage to find a guess house for us all for $2500 per/night/person ... ouch but not much choice... I have great company for the night chatting to everyone... I re-pack my stuff, arrange to leave my bike overnight at the guesthouse and book a spot in one of the huts at Porsmork for the next night... I´m stoked!

Next day... Still wet and windy i catch bus at 10.30am... There are too many people for the bus. This is because of the overflow from yesterday and also there is a marathon in the area. Yes thats right... 150 people are running from Landmannalaugar to Porsmork in a day, that usually takes 3-4 days to walk... its a 50km run... This is not for the fainthearted and to boot there is a storm! To my amazement and others... the Icelandic folk on the bus are asked to give up their seats for the tourists... To my further amazement they do. The driver says he´ll return and collect them on a special bus run.

So we trundle out again. This time we can cross the river. And i see why we had to turnback. Its not that we actually cross it, we have to drive in it for some time before the bus can turn across the flow. Now this crossing would be a bit of a tall order for the old sidecar, but with a few mods I'm sure a way could be found. As for the smaller 4x4... its would be a case of holding your breath as you cross. On the bus, and this is a bus with a lift-kit, the water lever is over the wheels. We all watch the landdrovers and other big 4x4 with oversized tyres attempt the crossing after watching the bus... They make it fine. Its not technically difficuilt once you can follow someone else... you just need to know where the ford is. Its the flow of the current that is daunting...its very fast, very grey and you can´t see the otherside. And i´m told if you stop in the flow thats when you´ll have problems. As the flow is so fast its also carrying a lot of sand, this is why its grey. As soon as you stop the sand builds up around your wheels and you can´t get the car to move. So once you decide to cross you have to keep going.

So i now arrive in Porsmork...yippy its still raining. I find my hut and sleeping bag spot in the loft of my hut...These huts are great they have a kitchen with all the cooking things you need and a loo. You have to use the showerblock, but this is not such a drama as it has a sauna and there is a thermal hotpot in the garden. Remember folks this is a National Park...with a sauna...

I have been chatting to Dori from the USA, her husbane is running in the marathon. She tells me the runners will be starting in around 3pm.. So i have around 3 or so hours to do a walk or longer if the rain stops... as the runners will keep arriving until around 6pm... thats around 8 hours of running! I´m determined to go on a walk even thought its no stop rain and wind and the storm is still in the area...

Now this is what i´m wearing for my walk attempt.. I have my walking boots on and wool sox´s. Over the boots i have my cycling plastic rain covers, they are to act like gatters and to try to keep water out of my laces and not run down the top of my boot. My boots have been sealed with snowseal but this rain finds a way down the top of your boot. Then i have my usual wool thermal leg-on´s you have been seeing in my photos, over the top my u-bute 'The North Face' (have to through in a brand name) gortex walking pants, then on top i have my usual wool clothes, Icebreaker of course, the windstopper and my Gortex jacket. I have a beenie on my head and on my hands i have my now waterproof mittens... Dork yes! Waterproof yes! warm just!

I set out... i make the 1st minor hill climb. Here i have been protected by the forrest of Birch trees... I must tell you the Icelandic joke about forrests here 'if your lost in an Icelandic forrest, stand up' The trees are small and there are only few, but what they i have is very nice. anyway back to my saga...

okay once over the rise i´m hit by the full force of the wind and rain. I have the hood of my jacket drawn in covering my lower face and touching the top of my glasses, i have to walk with my head down as i can´t see through the rain getting on to my glasses... As i said i´m determined to go for a walk. I have my day pack and i have water and food... no that i can actually stop to eat or drink.. I can´t take photos as my camera i now in a waterproof bag & not that i can see anything to take a photo of. And remember folks 150 people are running in this weather... are they mad! I make it to the other camping ground, this place is situated in a wonderful glacier river valley with soring mountains ranging in height of 500 to 1000mtrs... I guess they are snow covered, but i can´t tell at this point as the rain cloud is at 100mts.. I trudge on.. I manage to cross the 1st foot bridge over the glacier river.. i then wander around the rocks and river and then i stop.... I´m wet, cold, hungry, its 3pm and i´m not going to see much so i return to my camp spot to watch the runners return.

Now the marathon. What a feat of endurance. At the 1/2 way point 30 runners have stopped. Dori husbane Greg is one of the 1st 30 runners in, He describes near hypothermic conditions as he was running. I spend the next few hours listening to the stories of the runners and what the presentations to the winners. I think the 1st man was in at around 5-hours and the 1st girl around 5,30-hours. I am impressed. These folks are fit... This is the 10 year of the marathon and it has an international standing now.

Several of the runners are staying in the hut i´m in and everyone is chatting about the run and cycling in Iceland (yep 3 of the English runners have their bikes here and are riding back to Landmannalaugur!) I met my 1st fellow Aussie in the hut over from Sydney and going to walk to Landmannalaugur... Great!

Now the next day i´m hoping for clear sky. I wake at my usual 2,30am time and check the view... yes i can see blue sky... yippy...I return to sleep... I get up at 7ish... No blue sky, but no wind and no rain either so I set out again. Only this time I´m going to climb the mountain behind camping that will if the sun comes out give me a view of the glacier river valley i was in yesterday but most importantly a view of the glacier... So i set out... wearing less but carrying it just in case... I climb, overtake a tour group from the Netherlands and get to the top...

Iam spellbound... What a view... The cloud has lifted the sun is out, at least over the glacier and i´m on top of a mountain watching it all happen... I wan´t to tell someone i´m here... i want someone to ring me... i wan´t to sing and dance its a wonderful day...

My phone rings...much to my surprise... Its Ron calling to tell me that Justine Kelly from 720 ABC want´s to interview me for 6-degrees of seperation! What a hoot.. Wish we could have done the interview on this mountain! I´m in a buzz all day from my walk.. which is good as it helps me cope with what is about to happen... Something so seaming simple can go very bad....